The current board members of OpenAI have addressed the concerns raised by former board members, Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, regarding the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI.)
What Happened: In an opinion piece in The Economist, Summers and Taylor refuted Toner’s claims regarding CEO Sam Altman and his “deceptive behavior.” They said that an external review conducted by the law firm WilmerHale found no AI safety concerns that warranted Altman’s removal.
"We do not accept the claims made by Ms Toner and Ms McCauley regarding events at OpenAI," Summers and Taylor said.
The review involved extensive interviews with former board members, OpenAI executives, advisers, and other relevant witnesses.
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It also included a thorough examination of over 30,000 documents and various corporate actions. The findings dismissed the idea that product safety, the pace of development, OpenAI’s finances, or its statements to investors, customers, or business partners were concerns.
"In six months of nearly daily contact with the company we have found Mr Altman highly forthcoming on all relevant issues and consistently collegial with his management team," they added, shooting down Toner's allegations.
See Also: OpenAI Drama Timeline: All The Twists And Turns, Starring Sam Altman
The board members also emphasized that OpenAI has been actively involved in discussions with government officials worldwide on numerous issues. The company supports effective regulation of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and has made voluntary commitments to the White House to reinforce the safety, security, and trustworthiness of AI technology and services.
Toner and McCauley resigned from the board after the decision to retainAltman as the CEO of Microsoft Corp.-backed OpenAI.
Moreover, OpenAI has recently established a new Safety Committee to make recommendations on matters related to critical security and safety decisions for all OpenAI projects.
Why It Matters: The concerns raised by the former board members come in the wake of their calls for stricter AI regulation to ‘tame market forces’ for humanity’s sake.
Toner had previously alleged that the OpenAI board was not informed of the ChatGPT launch.
Furthermore, there were allegations that Altman was fired from Y Combinator and another startup for "deceptive and chaotic behavior." However, Paul Graham cleared the air on Altman’s departure from Y Combinator.
These events have led to criticism from figures like Elon Musk, who agreed that OpenAI’s new board has "no real power."
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